The prime minister has joked he avoided catching pneumonia after making his election announcement speech outside Number 10 in the pouring rain.
Speaking during a breakfast meeting with ex-servicemen in his constituency of Richmond, North Yorkshire, Rishi Sunak assured concerned local Vicky Rudd of his health, but couldn’t guarantee his suit survived the wet weather.
He told the group at The Buck Inn Wetherspoon’s pub on Saturday: “It was wet. The number of people who have given me an umbrella over the last couple of days…”
The prime minister also held back from tucking into one of the six large breakfasts that were brought over to the group of eight veterans.
He spoke with the group for around 20 minutes and did not take any questions from the media.
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Image: Rishi Sunak delivers a speech calling for a general election in soaking wet suit
His visit comes after Bim Afolami, the Treasury minister, dismissed suggestions the prime minister was “taking the day off” campaigning.
“It’s not right,” Mr Afolami told Sky News when asked if the prime minister was having a day off. “He’s going to be campaigning in Yorkshire.”
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Image: Sunak did not eat any breakfast, sticking to his cup of tea instead. Pic: PA
The prime minister has faced a difficult first two days of campaigning, encountering several hiccups on his UK-wide tour.
A visit to the Titanic Quarter in Belfast invited undesirable “sinking ship” comparisons with his party’s fortunes, while at a brewery in Wales, he made a footballing gaffe about the Euros.
Image: Sir Keir Starmer stopped for a cuppa while campaigning in the West Midlands on 25 May. Pic: PA
Despite this, Mr Sunak insists he is “pumped up” and “up for the fight” against Labour’s Sir Keir Starmer.
This weekend, clashes between the two parties on the economy are set to take centre stage as Sir Keir begins campaigning in the West Midlands on the cost of living crisis.
After days of furore directed at Rishi Sunak for the election betting scandal, now a Labour candidate is under investigation by the Gambling Commission for his own betting activity – and is immediately suspended.
Is this an equaliser in one of the grubbiest electoral sagas of recent elections? Quite possibly not.
There is no doubting the utter dismay in Labour HQ at the revelation that they too have a candidate caught up in the betting scandal.
However, if this scenario is as presented, it is hard to see an allegation being mounted that he had insider intelligence on the race – unless it can be proved he was deliberately setting out to lose.
An under-pressure Gambling Commission will investigate every candidate’s name on the spreadsheet from gambling companies of those who placed bets – but it is unclear from available facts where this will go.
The Tory betting saga, however, is more complicated and now on its 13th day.
It was almost two weeks ago that Craig Williams – Rishi Sunak’s closest parliamentary aide and former Montgomeryshire MP – admitted he had placed a bet on the election date – a date he might have known before the public at large.
He denies he committed any offence, and remains under investigation.
Laura Saunders, standing for the Tories just south in Bristol North West, has also been suspended for putting a bet on the date when her partner worked in Conservative headquarters on the election.
For most of that time, Mr Sunak has been insisting he could not suspend either candidate because of the ongoing probe by the Gambling Commission.
Ministers, as well as opponents, weighed in.
And on Tuesday he reversed that decision under that pressure.
This means there are questions about the prime minister’s own judgement and unwillingness to act on top of questions about the behaviour of those closest to him.
Image: Craig Williams and Laura Saunders have both been suspended from the Tories. Pics: PA/Laura Saunders for Bristol North West
This story has had massive cut through with the public, topping the charts for any news story in the UK – according to YouGov’s AI news tracker – for the last four days.
There is dismay from the cabinet downwards.
Labour’s own problems have undermined their own ability to go on the attack. But it is not clear that voters will see the two issues on the same scale.
The full list of the candidates running for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich is:
Charlie Caiger, independent; Tony Gould, Reform UK; Mike Hallatt, independent; Brett Alistair Mickelburgh, Lib Dems; Dan Pratt, Greens; Patrick Spencer, Conservatives.
The full list of candidates for Bristol North West is:
Caroline Gooch, Lib Dems; Darren Jones, Labour; Scarlett O’Connor, Reform UK; Mary Page, Green Party; Ben Smith, SDP.
The full list of candidates for Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr is:
Jeremy Brignell-Thorp, Green Party; Oliver Lewis, Reform UK; Glyn Preston, Lib Dems; Elwyn Vaughan, Plaid Cymru; Steve Witherden, Labour.